Link quality and stability is important in Carrier Ethernet and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks. As such, various techniques exist for delay and loss measurements. For example, delay and loss measurements are defined variously in ITU-T Recommendation Y.1731—Frame loss measurement (ETH-LM) and Frame delay measurement (ETH-DM), IETF RFC 6374—Packet Loss and Delay Measurement for MPLS Networks, etc. These techniques can be used to determine link quality and stability, but have several disadvantages. Specifically, these techniques are limited to specific customers, run on-demand, are not proactive, are not in-band with the data path, do not running continuously, are slow, etc. Additionally, continuity techniques exist for detecting failures or implementing other changes in the data path. For example, these continuity techniques can include Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) control packets in IETF RFC 5880 and IETF RFC 5881 or Continuity Check Messages (CCM) in IEEE 802.1ag or ITU-T Recommendation Y.1731 (Connectivity Fault Management (CFM)). These continuity techniques (or any other technique that has periodic repetition) however do not check for link quality and stability.